I've heard of the term "raised grain" before when talking about the condition of the wood on oboes/clarinets.

Looking down the bore of my instrument, it looks very rough. I'm guessing this is what people called raised grain. This is most evident in the top joint. The middle joint is very smooth but there is some evidence of the raised grain towards the end. There is even some in the bell.

The oboe is made of rosewood, which to my knowledge, tends to absorb water faster than grenadilla. I bought the instrument used and the raised grain has always been there. I'm guessing this is caused by the previous owner not swabbing out the oboe after playing.

Does this drastically affect the playing of the oboe? The oboe seems to play very well, it plays evenly in all register, it's smooth and it sounds very sweet. Maybe it could be better without the raised grain. Is there a way to remove it?